


The Banished Prince

by notDeaDD



Category: Norse Mythology, Norse Religion & Lore, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Angst, Banished Loki, F/M, I promise a happy ending though, I was serious about the angst, Jötunn Loki, Loki Feels, Loki has no voice, Loki-centric, Lots of Angst, Magicless Loki, Mix of Marvel and Mythology, Not an expert, Sigyn to the rescue, fluff may happen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-01-13
Updated: 2016-01-13
Packaged: 2018-05-13 20:17:46
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,805
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5715739
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/notDeaDD/pseuds/notDeaDD
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Loki has been caught and will finally receive the punishment for his betrayal.<br/>Odin banishes him from Valhalla and Asgard.<br/>Not only that, he takes all his freedoms away: including his voice.</p><p>This makes surviving in a strange, monster filled world all the more difficult.<br/>Without his silver tongue to save him, how will the Jotunn prince save himself?</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Banished Prince

Heavy clouds were gathering over the palace in Asgard. The rumble of thunder could be heard over the mountains as men and women hastily found their way to their safe homes. There was a storm brewing. And not just any storm.

 

News had come from Jotunheim that Thor had found the traitor Loki. It was the anger of the blond god, that made the thunder roar. In the halls of Valhalla, Odin sat on his throne, patiently awaiting the return of his two sons. Besides his wife, no other god dared show his face. This was a private matter. There was no doubt that Odin would discipline his adopted son.

Though Loki had committed high treason, no god or goddess cared for being in his shoes.

Odin's punishment would be harsh.

 

Brandishing his mighty hammer Mjólnir, Thor burst through the doors of the hall. He held Loki with his other arm. The man was bound by his hands and feet and a rag had been placed over his mouth, so he could not speak. There was fear in his eyes as his brother placed him before the throne.

 

'You have done well, Thor,' Odin spoke. His eyes, one seeing, the other white as milk and blind, looked kindly upon the blond man, who bowed his head in gratitude. Then Odin looked at his other son. The kindness disappeared from his face and it became cold and severe. Loki did not dare meet the eyes, preferring instead to stare at his feet.

'You have betrayed this house, Loki Fárbautisson, and in doing so, also this family, ' Odin's voice thundered through the hall, 'I took you when you were but a babe, brought you to my house and raised you as my own. You repaid me with betrayal.'

The last sentence was spoken in a tone so cold, even Thor shivered. Outside heavy winds howled and rattled the doors and windows as the anger of Odin reached its peak.

'In the past, I have been forgiving to your flaws in character. I forgave your arrogance and very often your malice to others. You have learned nothing! I believed that you would change your ways. I should have known, a Jotunn never would.'

 

Loki had no choice but to stand before the Allfather and listen to the harsh words. In the past he had maintained that words and insults, could not hurt him. He was the master of words; he was the silver tongue. Yet now, the they betrayed him. Odin's words cut so deep, they might as well have caused him to bleed. All the anger he had felt after his capture by Thor, turned cold. Fear seeped through his veins. To his shame, he felt a shiver going through his spine.

 

 _Coward_ , a low voice whispered to him in his mind. He closed his eyes. It was true, ofcourse, he would not lie to himself. He had evaded his capture for many years, always running, never resting. It had been years of continually looking over his shoulder. Afraid his brother would have finally caught up with him. And now he had and here he was. Back in the halls of his so called father, being reprimanded like he was a child. The years had not changed much.

 

When he dared to open his eyes again, Odin had fallen silent. The wind had stopped howling and the storm was passing. Soon, peace would return to Valhalla. No anger was left in the Allfather's voice, when he spoke again.

 

'Loki, for your treason, you shall be punished,' the sadness in Odin's voice was impossible to miss, 'Even though it saddens me, my duty is to Asgard. With your actions, you have brought us all in grave danger. This time it will not be so easy to forgive, or to forget.'

 

Now Loki, for the first time, looked up at his father. Their eyes met and Loki could see the pain he had caused. He bowed his head. Then, a soft and clear voice sounded in the halls. It was the voice of Frigg. 'Son, you have caused us great grief. I have pleaded with the gods, but none would forgive you,' the tone in her voice was full of sorrow. Now Loki saw his mother, pleading with the other gods, begging them to be merciful, to spare Loki's life. Tears of shame burned in his eyes.

 

'For your treason, you should be punished by death,' spoke Odin, 'Yet, I do not have it in my heart to kill my own kin. I shall take your voice from you, as to prevent you from spreading further lies and falsities . All freedoms shall be taken from you, Loki, and you shall be banished from this place, until the end of days'.

 

******

 

Odin's words still rung in Loki's ears when guards had come and taken him away. Thor had been there too, his eyes dark with sorrow and anger. 'I am sorry, brother,' he spoke softly as Loki was lead through a labyrinth of hallways and staircases. 'But you did bring this upon yourself.'

 

Those had been their parting words as shortly after, Thor had left Loki alone with the guards. They had escorted Loki to yet another hallway, this one buried deep in the earth and stone. The smell of  ancient magic was in the air and Loki shivered. This was where they would take his voice from him.

 

He was shoved into a dark room and the stone door was shut behind him. Loki could hear the shuffle of feet in the darkness. Then someone, or several someones, moved closer to him and lit three candles. _Witches_ , he thought. The three women were ancient. The wrinkles on their faces and hands too many to count. Dark runes were scribbled all over their skin. With a startle, Loki noticed that neither of them had eyes. Dark, scar riddled sockets stared at him instead.

 

'Come hither, young prince,' spoke the witch closest to him. Her voice was raspy and frail, yet Loki felt he could not disobey her command. Within three steps, he stood in their middle. The witch at his back, got out a knife and cut through his bonds. He hissed when the blade cut into his skin. Warm blood dripped from the wound on to the ground.

That was when the chanting started. Is was low and guttural, the words too ancient to be deciphered. Loki knew about magic. Through his studies he had come to understand great parts of it. This magic however, he had never come across. It was as ancient as the world and more powerful than anything he had ever encountered. It soared through his body and made him dizzy. Within a few moments, he could feel his legs getting weak. Then, without a warning, all became black and he lost consciousness.

 

*****

 

The sound of the sea, was the first thing Loki heard when he woke up. Above him, there was a sound of birds screeching. With his eyes still closed, he found the earth beneath him soggy. His hands were buried in wet sand. The substance smelled of salt, he noticed with a wrinkled nose, and of rot. It seemed he had fallen into it face first.

 

 _Get up_ , said a voice to him, _you are not alone._

 

Loki forced his eye open. They stung and it took some time before he was allowed to see. There were voices in the distance. He could hear them clearly now, though he could not see a soul. High dunes obscured his sight. Loki looked around him. The beach was abandoned, save for a few gulls and crows. Behind him the see roared. The chilly water almost touched his feet.

 

The voices got closer and Loki suddenly knew that he did not want to be found by whoever belonged to those voices. He crawled to the dunes as fast as he could manage and disappeared into the high helms of grass growing there. The grass was sharp and cut his bare arms, but he did not care. Above him, the voices paused. The silence was long and heavy and Loki feared they might have spotted him. Then the conversation continued and the sound disappeared.

 

Not until it was completely silent again, did Loki dare to reappear. He crawled to the top of the dune, making sure he stayed under the cover of the grass and the brier growing there. The sky above him, grey since his awakening, started to rain down on the world below. The drops were small and slow at first, but turned into a cold shower fast. The grass did little to keep Loki dry.

At last he reached the top of the dune. For the first time since his capture, he felt true despair. The world below him was nothing but marshes and bogs. The smell of salty water gone stale reached his nose and his nose wrinkled.

Besides the birds and the voices he'd heard earlier, there was no sign of life.

He was alone.

 

Carefully he made his way down the dune. Briers stuck to his hands and arms, the thorns clinging to his hair. And still the rain was pouring down. By the time he had reached the bottom of the dune, his clothes were sodden. The little warmth that they had kept was gone. Loki, however, was not one to be bothered by the cold. He could simply use his magic to keep himself warm.

 

Yet, when he moved his hands and made the gestures, no magic would come. He repeated the moves again and again. Nothing. He cursed. Nothing.

 

His eyes became wide with shock as he put his hands to his throat. His voice! He tried to speak again. His tongue and lips made the movement, but no sound came out. Then he remembered the words of Odin: _"I shall take your voice from you."._ The memory of the chanting witches, seeped back.

 

Rage built up inside him. They had actually taken his voice away! Imprisonment he could take, banishment he had expected, but this! Not even to be granted the freedom to speak! He felt he could have taken all humiliations but this one. His voice had always been there to aid him; his tongue spinning words in to webs that caught even the Allfather. He was alone in an unknown place, without the ability to speak. He had never been much of a fighter, preferring instead to talk his way out of most situations. And now he could not even do that.

 

After the initial shock had somewhat subsided, Loki started moving again. He was cold now. His wet clothes clung to his body as he moved. The ground under his feet went from sand, to muddy grassland and eventually to oozy mud altogether. The farther he walked, the deeper his feet sunk. The mud felt slimy between his toes and he shuddered to think what could be living there. More than once he felt as if something was touching his feet, grabbing at his ankles.

 

While he walked, the sun started setting behind the thick clouds. As dusk set in, a thin mist started rising from the marshes. The rain had stopped by now. The clouds parted slowly and revealed a pitch black sky, filled with unknown stars and planets. Loki frowned. He had never seen this sky before. Somewhere above  the mist a moon was shining. The pale light did not do the landscape any favours.

 

Loki did not know for how long he had been walking. Hours had passed since he had climbed from the dunes and land inwards. He was hungry and cold, but saw no place to safely rest. Nothing growing in these marshes seemed even slightly edible. There was nothing but mud and slime and dead trees. Loki shivered and walked on.

 

When morning came with a pale sunrise, he was still walking. During the night he had cautiously made his way through the marshes. He had been relieved when the ground beneath his feet had started to grow more sturdy and less slimy.

 

While walking, Loki had tried his magic again. It was during one of those attempts that he had discovered a thin, silver ring around both his wrists. The metal had refused to bent or break. He was certain it were these bracelets that were keeping him from using magic. Odin had said he would be stripped of all his freedoms: magic must have been one of those.

 

The land around him quickly began to change. He had left the sea and marshes behind him. Before him hills and grassland opened up. On the horizon he could see the shapes of hazy mountains. The trees grew taller here and there were birds singing. Yet even here the world seemed oddly silent. Every now and then, Loki saw tracks of animals. Big animals. Most likely wolves or something that resembled them. Loki realized that without his magic, he had nothing to defend himself against predators or attackers. He made it his goal to find something he could use as a weapon. Even though Thor had always bested him in combat training, he was dangerous when he wanted to be. And now he felt, the time had come for him to be as dangerous as he possibly could, at least until he knew more about the world he had been placed in.

 

As the morning turned in to noon, the heavy clouds returned and it started to rain again. A cold wind blew in the hills, howling as it passed through hollows and rocks. In the distance, Loki thought he heard a different kind of howling. The voices of wolfs calling to each other.

 

Slowly the dim light of day turned to dusk. Loki had already noticed that the days on this world were short and dark. The sun was never able to truly warm anything up.

 

When night fell, Loki was certain he was being followed. Heavy paws treaded behind him. The wind blew the sound of sniffing and growling to his ears. He was afraid. During the last hours of sunlight, he had slowly made his way to a forest he had spotted. The hills showed very little promise of hiding places and when night came, he did not want to stay out in the open. Not now there were wolves on his trail.

 

With his legs stiff from walking and his stomach aching with hunger, he could not walk very fast. His willpower was the only thing that kept him moving. As the tree line came closer, so did the sounds of the wolves behind him. Panic started to take hold of him and he started walking faster. He was very set on not dying. He knew that if he abided his time, someone would come for him. The gods of Asgard were known to hold a grudge or two, but Loki was certain his mother would eventually persuade them to forgive him. Otherwise there was always loyal Thor. His brother had never abandoned him and he was very certain that he would eventually come looking for him. However, for that plan to succeed, Loki had to survive. It would do him very little good to be forgiven, if he was no longer alive to receive that mercy.

 

Loki ran the last metres. He had made the mistake of looking over his shoulder. The beasts that were following him, were no more wolf than he was. They were larger and resembled a mixture of several predators. Their eyes glowed a bright yellow in the darkness.

 

When he had finally reached the relative safety of the trees, Loki sprinted to the highest tree he could find. Wolves were unable to climb trees. He hoped these predators held themselves to that general rule. With a cat like agility he climbed from branch to branch. The frustrated howls and snarls told him all he needed to know. As long as he stayed in the tree, he would be safe from those creatures. He was too tired to worry about any animals possibly living in the treetops.

Eventually he reached a branch thick enough to sit on. His hands were trembling from the exercise and there were scratches were his hands had gotten caught on the edges of the bark. He rested his back against the tree and closed his eyes.

 

He slept uneasy that night, his dreams riddled with howls and snarls.

When sunrise came he was wide awake, but unwilling to leave his hiding spot. He was tired and hungry. The thirst was the worst, however. He knew that if he did not find fresh water, he would not survive for long.

 _Soon,_ he promised himself, _I will go soon._

_First, let me sleep some more._

**Author's Note:**

> I have always had an affinity for norse mythology and it seemed a fun idea to combine it with the Marvel version of Asgard.  
> The character of Loki was always the most interesting to me.  
> Ever since I learned that in mythology he was married to a very faithful wife, I wanted to tell more of her story. And maybe make her a bit more bad ass and a bit less perfect wife!
> 
> I hope you'll like the story!  
> As English is not my first language, I sometimes find myself struggling with grammar and spelling.  
> If you find a mistake, please let me know!  
> And ofcourse, I'd love to know what you think about the story :)
> 
> This will be updated on a weekly basis!


End file.
